Birth Injuries & Brain Damage

Childbirth can be extremely complex and dangerous, especially if the medical
staff or healthcare facility fails to handle the birth appropriately.
There are several ways in which infants can be injured during childbirth,
and, unfortunately, many of those injuries could result in brain damage.
Infant skulls are particularly delicate, making them more susceptible
to injury during and shortly after birth. Their skulls are not yet fully
formed, and there are soft spots where the bones haven’t yet fused.
For this reason, they need to be handled with the utmost care by doctors,
nurses, and other medical staff. However, not all injuries are caused
by physical trauma, other types of errors could cause serious brain damage as well.

If anything goes wrong while handling the baby, or if something is handled
poorly during delivery, it could result in temporary, long-lasting, or
permanent brain damage. Read on to learn more about the different ways
in which infants could suffer brain damage during the delivery process.

Physical Injuries

Many infant brain injuries are caused by some type of physical trauma sustained
during the birth or afterward. When doctors need to help the mother with
the delivery process, this often means they must push, pull, or grab the
baby to help the birth along. Whether the doctor uses his or her hands,
forceps, a vacuum, or some other birthing tool, the damage could be severe.
Helping with delivery can be tricky, and if the doctor or midwife pulls
the baby at an odd angle, it could cause nerve damage or might even damage
the baby’s neck and head.

Instruments like forceps, and especially vacuums, can cause serious damage
directly to the baby’s head. If the vacuum is used too roughly,
or if the doctor grips the baby’s head too tightly, it could bruise
the skull or even cause internal bleeding. This could most definitely
result in temporary or permanent brain damage.

Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is one of the more common birth injuries, and it can result
in infant brain damage. Unfortunately, cerebral palsy is a life-long condition
and can cause serious developmental delays, trouble with coordination,
seizures, and difficulty seeing, hearing, or breathing. Cerebral palsy
can be caused by mistakes made by medical staff during birth, especially
if the birth process was particularly difficult or traumatic. In some
cases, this condition is caused by physical trauma caused by forceps or
a vacuum, or it could be as a result of oxygen deprivation. Additionally,
if the baby’s heart rate was allowed to remain at a hazardous rate
for too long, usually during a difficult birth, especially if the doctor
was too slow to order a C-section, it could also result in cerebral palsy.

Oxygen Deprivation

As we mentioned, if the baby is deprived of oxygen during delivery or after
birth, it could result in serious brain damage. Oxygen deprivation, also
called birth asphyxia, can cause life-long brain damage, including conditions
like cerebral palsy, autism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Sometimes if the mother is having difficulty during delivery, or if the
baby is caught in the birth canal, it can result in a lack of oxygen to
the infant. If the doctor does not act quickly to order a C-section or
to help the baby through the birth canal, he or she could suffer brain
damage as a result of lack of oxygen. This might also occur if the baby’s
airways are obstructed and the doctor, nurse, midwife, or other medical
professionals fail to properly clear the baby’s airways after birth.
The baby might also be deprived of oxygen if there are umbilical cord
problems, or if the baby has anemia, the mother has blood pressure problems,
or if the placenta separates from the uterus and is stuck in the birth
canal during delivery.

Infections

If the mother suffers a serious infection during pregnancy or during the
birth, and the medical staff fails to treat it, the infection could adversely
affect the unborn child. Infections can wreak havoc on the undeveloped
infant’s brain, causing serious developmental delays, and potentially
even death. These infections can also be extremely dangerous for the mother.
A few different types of infections include cystitis, vaginal yeast infections,
venereal warts, and pyelonephritis.

Infant brain damage can reveal itself in several different ways. The child’s
injuries may have been apparent during the delivery process or symptoms
may have started shortly after birth. However, in other cases, the baby’s
brain damage may only become apparent when he or she is slow to roll over,
or shows other clear developmental delays. If you suspect your child suffered
brain damage during the birth process, the doctor or medical staff may
be at fault.

By submitting this form to Fieger, Fieger, Kenney & Harrington, P.C.,
I acknowledge and consent that this legal inquiry may be referred to a
separate law firm on my behalf or by the authority of the injured party.

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The information on this website is for general information purposes only.
Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual
case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt
or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.

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